Nowhere Girl

The Sayafi's

Author's Note: I have changed my main character's name from Syra to Nora, and this is what she will be referred to throughout the story now. Sorry for the confusion!

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Dinner that night was to be a somber affair. The table had already been set with plates laden with steaming food- but it all lay untouched. Nora and her family were waiting for Jem- her father had called the boy several times asking for his whereabouts, but much to his frustration, his calls had been declined. Nora knew why. Jonas was probably still in the company of Michelle- doing what, Nora shuddered to think about.

She'd confronted her family on his surprise appearance the second she had returned home from school. It had been less than a pleasant conversation, to say in the least.

"Was no one going to tell me that Jonas is back?" she asked her father incredulously. "You know I don't like things being sprung upon me like that."

"Sprung upon you?" her father asked, seated on the living room sofa after he had arrived from work. At forty six, Zafar Sayafi was a tall, lanky man with greying hair and green eyes; almost a replica of her younger brother. "Jonas is part of this family- his appearance should be welcomed by you."

"He's not a part of this family anymore." Nora pressed. She knew she was wading into icy waters here. After Jem's mother had passed away, and even during their marriage, her father had made a point to treat Jonas as his son. And Nora had too, taken the initiative to treat him as a brother- until they had moved here, and he had made his own choice to stay in Austria.

"I promised Elena I would treat him as my son." her father replied, his voice calm as ever. "And that he is." From the kitchen, she could see her mother's guarded figure. She, also, mirrored her husband in height- but that was where the likeness ended. Alina Sayafi sported a tawny complexion and dark features that more closely resembled her daughter's. She had her reservations about Jem- unruly, irresponsible Jem- but she had always been too kind to voice them. Nora could not help but notice that her mother would always inwardly shrink when her father began talking about Jem. She understood why. Order may have been restored to their family when her parents were remarried a year ago, but Jem's role in their family would always be a relic of the trauma that had ripped them apart. And for her mother- he was but a symbol of her husband's infidelity, a stain she could never erase.

"I know." she said, sighing in defeat. Part of her felt guilty of having spoken about Jem that way. "But I just-"

Just then came a knock from the front door of their apartment. Her brother, Zakaria, shot towards it. There, stood in their doorway with his hands in pockets, was Jem. Nora crossed her arms as she watched her family mill around him. Her father hugged him first- after he had extricated Zakaria from the older boy. Last came her mother. She too, Nora noted with no small amount of surprise, hugged Jem with love. Jem returned the embrace even more tightly than he had with her father- and then it dawned upon her. It occurred to her, for the first time in months, that Jem had lost his mother. Enigmatic as she was in her affections- he had loved her, and the year that had followed after her death had not been kind to him.

After the initial round of greetings, the five of them settled around the table. The food had gone slightly cold by now, but they dug in nonetheless- each member of the family rendered famished by the long wait.

"So, is anyone going to tell me why Jem randomly showed up here today?" Zack said, digging into his rice and curry. Her mother had done a good job of making it spicy today, and Nora loved it. By the way Jem was scarfing down ravenous mouthfuls, so did he.

"Dad got a job here in Singapore." Jem said. "For a company that makes toothpaste or something silly like that. I couldn't care less about what it was- only that I wanted to come here as soon as I could."

"Why?" Zack said, innocent curiosity in his voice. "I thought you chose to stay behind in Austria when we moved."

"Because I wanted to get to know my dad." Jem explained, not unkindly, though she could tell her had been perturbed by the question. Zack had been too young to understand the politics of the events after Elena's death, and the arrangements that had been made about her son's custody. Jem's father, who had forsaken his wife and son a decade ago, had re-emerged to collect his son upon the news of his ex-wife's death. He had returned with a shiny new family in tow- complete with a ravishing young wife and an infant daughter named Maude. What had followed was a bitter custody battle between Nora's father and Jem's- one that had ultimately been turned in favour of Hans van Rijn when Jem himself had decided to stay with his father.

"And how is he?" Nora asked.

"You'd know if you had ever bothered to speak to me the entire year I was away."

Nora pursed her lips. She'd purposely avoided all conversation with Jem that year for fear of falling into a rabbit hole of memories. Hearing his voice reminded her of another, worse time- one she had no intention of reliving. So she had avoided him altogether, though it had pained her to do so. There had been days when she had wanted nothing more than to ring up her step brother and ask him how he had been faring- but she had not. How could she explain that to him, now?

It was her mother who broke the uncomfortable silence that followed. "It has been a tough year for all of us, janu*." she reminded the group. "But now that you're here, it's time we look ahead, to the future. I'm sure we all can agree that it is time to stop looking in the past."

Jem's guarded expression lightened slightly at the sincerity in her mother's words.

"Of course," Zafar Sayafi agreed. Jem referred to the man fondly as Kaka- a variation of 'uncle' in Urdu, the Sayafi's mother tongue. "And Jem- you live with your father now, but this is still your home. In fact, when I heard you were moving here- I began clearing up a room just for you. You can stay here any time you like, for as long as you like."

Nora blinked in surprise. Her mind instantly went to the third empty bedroom in their house- the one her parents had been refurbishing under the guise of wanting a new study. Honestly, she should have known what was happening all along. She glanced at Jem, trying to gauge his reaction. A genuine smile had swept his features- not the pretentious smirk he often donned in school, but a real, sincere beam. He looked touched by the gesture, and for the first time, Nora realised how much she had missed her brother.

"Thank you," he said to them, his gaze rather downcast. "I do plan to come over a lot- but for now, my dad wants me back home early."

"Of course it is." her mother replied, getting up from her seat. "I'll pack some food for you to take home. I know how much you love this curry."

Jem smiled at her, then glanced at Nora. Things were far from sorted out, but seeing her brother here again had been strangely comforting. And when she, Zack and Jem began washing the dishes after dinner and throwing soap bubbles at each other, she almost forgot why she had buried her memories of their time together as a family.

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*Janu is the Urdu word for "sweetheart" or "darling".

Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you like my characters so far. I have a lot planned for the next few chapters- we're going to meet Elliot very soon! I'm so excited to introduce him. Him, and a lot more drama. Stay tuned and thanks for your support!